Page 70 of Fight or Flight

Katherine smiled at her. “It’s silly, but no. Once I finish one story, I move on to the next. I do see the artwork and approve the covers.” She would have Gayle overnight copies of all the books so she could sign them for Bethany.

They all discussed Katherine’s books for another hour until Doc said it was time to leave because his old bones were tired. He had arranged for Katherine’s window panels to be replaced first thing the next day.

“Thanks, Doc. You’re the best,” said Katherine.

“So say the shirts.” He nodded at Stephanie’s shirt.

“I get it now,” Katherine said. It was their last name. “Do you have them at the clinic?”

“No, just these two. If you’re good, I might let you wear one. Girls, this old guy is tired, and I still have the animals to take care of. Tyler, K, I’ll see you two later. Call me if Dewayne doesn’t show up on time.” He was the best window man in town, according to Doc.

After goodbye hugs and promises to Bethany, Katherine was exhausted. Tyler insisted on staying on the couch again, and with Jameson Thurman still out there, Katherine was glad to say yes. She would have preferred him in her bedroom, but so much had happened already tonight, and she hoped there would be plenty of time in the future for that. This certainly was turning out to be the busiest, strangest day she’d had since moving to North Carolina.

Chapter Nineteen

Early the next morning, Tyler took her to Asheville Memorial Hospital. The drive to Asheville wasn’t long at all, which was a good thing, because Katherine was anxious to see if they could get some DNA results. Katherine felt like she was a spy during the Cold War era. But this was real, nothing fictional created by herself or another author.

“How long will this take before we have the results?” Katherine asked.

“Not as long as it used to take. A matter of hours, if we can find DNA on the boarding pass that matches what’s on file.”

Katherine hadn’t known Jameson’s DNA was part of his criminal record. Detective Davidson hadn’t told them that it had been taken when he was arrested the year before for driving while intoxicated. He’d lost his driver’s license yet stolen her car. On their way to Asheville, Katherine and Tyler had stopped back at Kyle’s house. Sure enough, Katherine’s Nissan was parked in the garage.

Katherine had asked Lisa to dig deeper into Jameson’s background. Sure enough, he’d been arrested as an adult. Lisa had emailed his record along with his DNA results. Katherine would triple Lisa’s yearly bonus. She’d earned it.

* * *

“You’re my fiancée, if anyone asks,” said Tyler.

Katherine nodded. She was glad she’d showered and changed clothes. She walked through the hospital’s private entrance as if she belonged there. “Whatever it takes.”

They walked through several long hallways. The sound of monitors, respirators, and moans could be heard from behind closed doors. The lights were so bright that Katherine doubted the patients could sleep. Doctors were paged over the intercom system. The smell of alcohol and bleach permeated the place. “I hate hospitals,” she whispered to Tyler.

“Me too,” he said, looking at her with a sly grin. “If my patients wind up on the seventh floor, it means I’m not doing my job.”

“Are any of your patients here now?” she asked, even knowing he couldn’t give out that information.

“None,” he said, taking her hand. He pushed a button on the wall, and a large set of metal doors opened.

The room ahead of them was packed with medical staff. Katherine stopped. “I’ll wait.” She felt frightened for a moment.

“You can’t. I need your DNA.”

“I’m a little nervous, that’s all.”

The doors closed behind them, and Tyler walked Katherine across the lab. She saw tubes of blood and slides of something being placed in a black light mini refrigerator. She’d hated science and chemistry in school and college.

Tyler squeezed her hand. “This is Fuller’s office. This won’t take long.”

Drawing a deep breath, Katherine plastered a smile on her face as they entered Tyler’s college pal’s office.

“Dude,” said Fuller, standing up from behind his desk. “Been way too long. Dude.”

Dude?So Fuller was one ofthosecollege roommates, thought Katherine. Fuller had dreadlocks and a full beard. He was much shorter than Tyler; in fact, he was the polar opposite of Tyler.

“This your chick?” Fuller nodded at Katherine.

“No, I’m not his chick,” Katherine said primly.

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